Animal Rights ActivismFrom All-Creatures.org.Be a Voice for the
Voiceless“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
-Gandhi

Moo-ving people toward compassionate living

Skillful Means:
One Avenue to Effective Activism

By Mike Shaw

Skillful means is a term used by Buddhists when they want to
teach people who are at a different level of understanding
from their own. Let me give
you an example.

Many years ago, I hooked up with a fellow I had
known for quite some time in the Jiu-Jitsu and Karate world and
we started a business together. He (Andy) had heard through the
grapevine that I was a vegetarian and animal rights activist. Andy
told me never to talk to him about it. He informed me that he was
a steak and potato kind of guy and an avid fisherman. Well, I had no
intention of talking to him about my beliefs. I seldom share my
beliefs with acquaintances unless we are out eating and they ask why
I am not eating a hamburger or some other flesh product.

Anyway, Andy started asking me questions about vegetarianism and
some of you folks already know this story. Andy became a hard core
vegan and protester of the circus, the zoos, hunters and fisherman.
He is till going strong, last I heard.

That was skillful means... I
did not confront Andy. Rather, I lived my happy life and ate,
proudly, my vegetarian meals. You see, one of the fears that Andy
had was that being a vegetarian was not manly. Seeing me as a longtime black belt and former champion of martial arts, he thought,
"Well, if Mike can do it, so can I..."

Interestingly, some folks that I know the other
night asked me questions about vegetarianism. They assured me they were just
curious and had NO intentions of becoming vegetarians themselves. I
told them what happened to Andy and there was a look of shock on
their faces and perhaps a bit of fear. They almost looked as though
they were afraid to ask any more questions for fear they would
somehow get infected with a vegetarian virus... it was cute. Ah, but
they did ask for some literature... Who knows?

I have found that the best skillful means is to use the no-sell
approach with friends. Yes, I love to put up booths, put on veggie
days at the church, but I never get confrontational with folks. We
vegetarians are outnumbered about 98 to 2 and if we appear like
loose canons, then folks will be afraid to join us, even if they
want to at some level. Thus, I believe that skillful means, is
the best way.

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